ostensible
Americanadjective
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outwardly appearing as such; professed; pretended.
an ostensible cheerfulness concealing sadness.
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Rare. apparent, evident, or conspicuous.
the ostensible truth of their theories.
adjective
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apparent; seeming
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pretended
Other Word Forms
- nonostensible adjective
- ostensibility noun
- ostensibly adverb
- unostensible adjective
Etymology
Origin of ostensible
First recorded in 1730–40; from French, from Latin ostēns(us) , variant of ostentus ( ostensive ) + French -ible -ible
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Fitzgerald Mosley will need the help of her ostensible supporters if she wants to say just that.
From Salon
This organization’s ostensible goal is to “promote stability, restore dependable and lawful governance, and secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict.”
From Salon
But notes of disillusion sound throughout this ostensible success story.
All of the growth coming, as Russell notes, detention and deportation being shown to be ineffective at the administration’s ostensible goal of reducing crime.
From Salon
An ostensible crackdown on “waste, fraud and abuse” inside the Social Security Administration is making giving birth even more complicated for some Americans.
From Salon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
